Do they have to put borax in there?

The short answer? Yes.

 People often ask me "Why the borax?  Isn't that what you use to clean things?".  Again I have to answer yes.

 But the reason borax cleans is because it is very alkaline. (pH approx. 9)

Borax is a natural mineral salt.  It is found in places where lakes have formed seasonally due to heavy rains and then evaporated again.  After many years of this the salt accumulates and can be mined.  Most borax (sodium borate) comes from Turkey, Chile, Tibet or from Boron, California.  Though it is found naturally it can be reproduced in the lab.

 So why is it used in skin care products?

It is an emulsifier. It is generally found in creams where beeswax is used.  Beeswax is not an emulsifier on it's own.  When beeswax and borax are combined in a recipe a reaction occurs similar to that in soap making and a true emulsifier is created.  This is a very tricky process to master because there is no guarantee as to how much emulsifier will be created with each reaction even if the amount of borax and beeswax remains constant.

It is a constant in all bath bombs recipes because without it they would not hold their shape and crumble.  Trust me, without borax your bath bombs simply crumble into fizzing bath salts!

 Now I understand peoples' concern with seeing borax listed on the ingredients.  I also caution people that just because something is natural doesn't mean it's safe.  Borax can most certainly be toxic if enough of it is ingested.  It definitely  needs to be kept out of reach of children and pets.  However, the amount used in your natural skin care products, when used as an emulsifier, in my humble opinion is more than safe.  .Just don't go making a habit out of eating bath bombs for desert.

 Borax also has many other uses you may be interested in

It is used as a food preservative in some countries to preserve caviar.  It is banned in the United States (thankfully) and so they simply use a lot of salt!  So if you're a caviar fan, you might want to check into that!

 You probably already know about the myriad of cleaning options such as mold killer, laundry booster, dishwasher powder and all purpose cleaner.

Use it to prevent fleas from hatching in carpets and other bedding.

Mice really don't like it so sprinkle it around where you suspect the devils to be and they probably won't want to come back to that area.  (Apparently they don't like peppermint essential oil either!)

 So the next time you see borax on the label, think for a moment about the small amount vs. the benefit it creates (without an emulsifier your cream would look like homemade salad dressing) and the natural product vs. the chemical emulsifiers in the nasty skin care products!

I say, bring on the borax!

And now you know.